Posted on Fri, May 25, 2012
In honor of Memorial Day, Foxfire Illuminating Helmet Bands are discounted to $19.95 each through Monday, May 28th.
To purchase visit: http://store.mn8foxfire.com/default.asp no promo code required, discount will be applied at checkout.
Track firefighters and increase safety in smoky or dark environments with illuminating/glow-in-the-dark helmet bands.
-Increases visibility and positional orientation
-Can be charged by any light source (sun, artificial light, low light)
-Will illuminate for hours
-May be recharged repeatedly
-Glow/illumination serves as a “light emitter”
-Energy efficient, eco-friendly and no batteries required
-Made of industrial grade high temperature resistant silicone
-Can withstand high temperatures
Three of the biggest risks faced by firefighters are disorientation, visibility and accountability (to both individuals and tools). Foxfire® illuminating helmet bands assist firefighters in facing these risks by improving positional orientation, making personnel easy to locate and illuminating search areas.
Made of industrial grade high temperature resistant silicone, Foxfire illuminating helmet bands were designed specifically to handle the heat and rigors of firefighting. Each helmet band will illuminate for hours. The helmet bands may be charged repeatedly by any type of light condition, however the brighter the light the brighter and longer the bands will illuminate and glow.
ORDER YOURS TODAY
http://store.mn8foxfire.com/default.asp
Posted on Thu, May 10, 2012
There is no city in the US that has been hit harder over the last decade than Detroit, just don’t let the brave men and women of the Detroit Fire Department find that out. Why ? Because for them it’s just business as usual fighting fires, saving lives and serving the residents of this iconic city. The decline of the domestic auto-manufacturing industry and it’s crippling effect on their local economy was very apparent as I drove past the blocks of vacant homes and commercial structures on my way to Detroit Fire Department Station 40 on Dexter Ave.
They have not let the reduced budgets, declining economy, and politics get in the way of them providing a level of professionalism that all fire departments could learn from. They know it’s not about how hard you get hit, it’s about your ability to take the punch and how fast you can bounce back. The exceptional men and women of the Detroit Fire Department are warriors, they have a job to do and no challenge will stand between them and their mission to serve their residents.
Over the 24 hours, I had the chance to not just visit the brave warriors of DFD but they also let me break bread, fight fire, and spend the night with all of them at their station. Brotherhood, compassion, focus, and love of their job were on full display.
Like many of you, I first learned about the challenges of the Detroit FD from both the news and the soon to be released movie BURN. Please take time to watch the trailer below and donate to the www.detroitfirefilm.org.
I was hosted by Sgt. John Edwards of Squad 5 on this recent trip. I first met Sgt. Edwards at FDIC a few weeks ago. He invited me to spend a day with his crew and that was an offer I could not refuse.
At morning line up, I was introduced to the men of the station and the OIC, Lt. Ziggler (Ziggy, as his guys call him). He started the roll call off with his own unique motivating words about the importance of doing their job and having fun.
We all learned at a young age to never judge a book by its cover. Sometimes, I find myself not following this rule. I was issued my gear and got my side of the truck ready. The men of Detroit have battle-worn gear, old trucks with virtually no “bells and whistles” but they have something much more important; brotherhood, professionalism, and pride. This was on full display when we caught our first structure fire of the day. Within a few minutes of dispatch we traveled several miles in traffic, stretched lines, vented a wall and made a knock on the fire. What was even more impressive was that in less then 15 minutes all four units were back in service. I have never seen a faster, more perfect aggressive attack, overhaul, and return to service . What was even more special to me personally was seeing the excitement of the men as their Foxfire tools and helmet bands illuminated the interior of the house helping them with accountability of each other and their tools.
As we were getting back on our rig, I was introduced to a senior Captain who pulled me aside and said “Don’t let our old gear and trucks fool you, our boys know how to work!” He could not be more spot on. On our ride back to quarters, I thought of our regional departments and how we have state of the art technology, glitzy trucks, and top of the line gear. Regardless, many firefighters I know and even myself sometimes, complain when our gear is not in like-new condition or our trucks don’t function perfectly. We get too wrapped up with our gear and apparatus and forget about the most important item in the fire-service; the firefighter.
I learn something new every time I visit a fire station or other firefighters but this visit was different. This visit taught me one of the greatest lessons I have ever learned as both a firefighter a human. Greatness cannot be measured by tangibles like money, gear, or status. Greatness should be measured by doing your best with what you have.
Posted on Thu, Apr 26, 2012
The MN8 Foxfire caravan pulled into the Indianapolis Convention Center wednesday afternoon. We knew it would be a good show when we already had people waiting to talk to us before we even started unpacking our booth.
Later back at the hotel we met up with our celebrity spokesmen Lt. Rhet Flietz ( www.thefirecritic.com) and Capt. Willie Wines (www.ironfiremen.com)
They were very proud to be showing off their brand new kilts. I could not be left out so one of their friends who made the drive with them, Big Mike, of the Renegade Pipes and Drums offered me a kilt to wear.
We met up with the rest of our crew and headed out to the F.O.O.L.S. outdoor party. It was so great seeing several people in the crowd wearing their Foxfire illuminating t- shirts. Rhett and Willie were mobbed like celebrities, everybody wanted their pictures with them. These two giants in the fire service are the real deal. They don’t know a stranger. Every firefighter they meet is greeted as “hey brother.”
The first day of the show was great! A few of us got to the booth several hours before the start and we already had a constant stream of people. So many people were lined up that some had to come back two and three times just to get a demo. We completely sold out of all of our illuminating tetrahedrons and almost sold all of the FDIC winning T-shirts made by firefighter Donald Wedding on the first day.
Some of the greatest comments of the day were from the firefighters that bought our products last year and were now bringing their fellow firefighters over to show them the “magic” as some people called it.
That night we had a chance for our entire team to unwind at one of my favorite restaurants, Adobo. We rented an entire room and spent the night sharing laughs, dancing to the Mariachi bands, eating table-side made guacamole and drinks, lots of fresh made margaritas.
The next two days were just like the first two, action packed and a constant stream of distributors, firefighters, and others wanting to hang out with the MN8-Foxfire team and to learn more about how our advanced photoluminescent technologies can help increase visibility, reduce disorientation and improve accountability. We even were interviewed by Mike Brooks of CNN Headline News.
The last day, we signed up for our new booth for next years show and after speaking with the person at the conference, she made a comment, “So you guys are the ones we’ve been hearing about that has been so busy that you've been blocking the aisles with all your crowds. Outside of the special visit from the “Swamp People” and the bikini girls we were one of the busiest booths at the show."
When I look back on the show and what we have accomplished since last year, I tried to figure out how we could have gained so much traction so fast and the answer is simple. The reason is something we have talked about many times before. We are taking an innovative technology and making a difference in the safety of our brothers. Every dollar we make goes back into growing our mission of "By firefighters for firefighters." We are not a huge corporation that can spend millions of marketing dollars on big trade-show booths and full page advertisements. We are just a bunch of firefighters trying to look out for each other.
Posted on Wed, Apr 18, 2012
We’re packed and headed out today for the Fire Department Instructor’s Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis. We’ve got our blackout tent ready (so people can see the illumination from our products in the dark), we’ve got firefighters who have used the products ready to demonstrate and talk about them and we’ve got lots of products available for purchase. We’ll also be announcing the winner of our T-shirt design contest, talking about our Boots on the Street program, sharing news about some collaborations we’ll being telling you about soon and talking about our upcoming products. If you’re going, be sure to visit us at the MN8-Foxfire Booth #3026 of the Indiana Convention Center to learn more about how Foxfire illuminating products help firefighters reduce disorientation, improve accountability and increase visibility.
You might even find a couple of “celebrities” hanging around our booth.
That’s right, Lt. Rhett Fleitz of the Fire Critic blog (FireCritic.com) and Captain Willie Wines Jr. of the Wooden Ladders and Iron Firemen blog (IronFiremen.com) will be spending time at our booth when they’re not signing autographs or posing for photos.
Seriously, our entire MN8-Foxfire team has the highest respect for Rhett and Willie. They are truly good friends and great supporters of fellow firefighters and the firefighting industry. I’ve been greatly touched that they’ve become huge fans of Foxfire products and supporters of our goals of keeping our fellow firefighters safe.
It seems like we’ve been friends for a very long time. But it’s only been a year. In fact, our friendship began a year ago-at FDIC. Today, I’d like to share that story with you.
We stalked Rhett. Well, sort of. Here’s what happened: Sometime before FDIC, we’d contacted Rhett about doing a product review of our Foxfire illuminating helmet band. Keep in mind that MN8-Foxfire had just been launched months before last year’s FDIC and at that time our only products were the Foxfire illuminating helmet band and the Foxfire illuminating do-it-yourself coating kit. About a week before FDIC, Rhett published his review of the helmet bands and it was published on his blog.
His review was very positive, you can read it here
After arriving in Indianapolis, the night before FDIC began we decided to find Rhett. As you probably know, he’s big into social media. So Amy, who heads up marketing and public relations for MN8-Foxfire and I started tracking Rhett’s whereabouts via Twitter and Foursquare. When he checked into a downtown Indianapolis BBQ restaurant, I headed over to meet him and thank him for his recent review. Sure enough, I found him along with Captain Willie and Dave Statter (statter911.com), another firefighter industry blogger. And the friendships began.
In the year since FDIC 2011, Rhett, Willie and I have spent a lot of time together. When we unexpectedly didn’t have enough staffing at last year’s Firehouse Expo in Baltimore, Willie lent a hand and helped work at the MN8-Foxfire booth. With his credibility and reputation in the fire industry, it was an honor to have him work with us. Willie also helped us “work the booth” at Fire Rescue International in Atlanta last year. Rhett was also at both of these shows, talking up our products in between his Fire Critic gigs.
I guess we help each other out. When Willie and Rhett called me last year asking if MN8-Foxfire would be willing to donate helmet bands to the climbers of a 9/11 stair climb they were participating in, we immediately agreed, creating some specially designed helmet bands specifically for that event.
During the past year, Willie, Rhett and I also did some traveling together, heading to New York City twice, and visiting numerous fire stations while we were there. On our last New York Trip, we teamed up to establish a joint fundraiser to raise money for two injured firefighters from FDNY Rescue 2, a station we’d visited on our first trip.
Rhett and Willie also visited the MN8-Foxfire headquarters in Cincinnati a couple of times during the past year. On one of these visits the three of us trained in a flashover simulator in our turnout gear, along with catching a Cincinnati vs. W. Virginia football game together.
In just one year, we’ve shared too many experiences and fun times to share in just one blog post. Bottom line is that these are really great “brothers” and two men I’m honored to call good friends. If you haven’t met them before, I hope you get the chance talk with them at FDIC or some other time in the future, because they all around great guys who are worth getting to know. If you have any experiences you’d like to share about Rhett and Willie, we’d love to hear those too!
Posted on Mon, Apr 09, 2012
This purpose of this trip was two-fold. First, I wanted to visit our largest Canadian distributor and secondly I wanted to live out a childhood dream of seeing the Edomonton Oilers play a home hockey game. As a little kid, I dreamed of Wayne Gretzkey, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, Mark Messier and one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports; the 1983-1990 Edmonton Oilers.
I was greeted at the airport by national sales manager Troy Mutch of Commercial Solutions. Troy does not only run one of the most successful firefighting products distributions organizations in Canada he is also a very active member of both his local fire department and national Canadian firefighting causes.
He was recently awarded a very prestigious Diamond Jubilee medal from the Queen of England in honor of his service to Canadian volunteer firefighting.
He drove me back to their offices for a grand tour. I could not have been more humbled to walk in the front door and be greeted front and center with a very prominent Foxfire display.
They gave me a tour of their warehouse and their two story indoor training tower. We were then met by Luke Brisson, another Commercial Solutions Sales rep and full-time firefighter with the city of Calgary. If I could come back in another life, I would want to be Luke. He’s a full-time firefighter, former semi-professional hockey player and chick magnet. He just got back from a one month trip to Thailand. Let’s just say this man had us all very jealous of his stories, except of course Commercial Solutions assistant manager Scott (the Rico Suave of Canada) who did not seem too impressed.....As we were walking around the building, Luke asked what any good self-respecting firefighter would ask someone on a tour “wanna go to the roof?”
Even though I just recently met these guys, I felt like I had known them for years. It never ceases to amaze me that a firefighter is a firefighter no matter were you run. These guys are more than just new friends, they are my brothers. I look forward to many more trips with them in the future (we are thinking about a July trip to Vancouver next)
Later that night we all met up again starting at a great bar/restaurant called CHOP. Wow, I would have thought I was in Las Vegas. Let’s just say Edmonton is at no loss for beautiful women.....
We then all met up with some more firefighters from Thorsby Fire Department and headed to a Brazilian Style restaurant called Pampa. According to Luke, we were going to eat so much steak that we would have “meat sweats.” I’m not sure what that meant but I ate so much that I could barely sleep that night...
I’m always on the lookout for creative and innovative products. After excusing myself to go to the bathroom, I found a product that had me rolling. Take a look at these pics and make sure to visit : www.theweee.com If any of you own a restaurant, bar or pub this is a MUST !
I woke up the next morning to something I have not seen in over a year. SNOW. Not just a few flakes but Canadian style snow; 30-40c centimeters 15+inches (I had to look that up)
We first had a duck sandwich (YUM....) and then headed to the Edmonton Fire Department for a few more meetings. It was then off to the hotel to get ready for the main event of the trip, Edmonton Oilers hockey.
In typical Troy fashion, we did not just attend the game, we watched the game from VIP seats just a few rows up from the goal. It was a great game that ended in overtime. It was a awesome time with a great group of guys. I'm looking forward to my next trip back to Western Canada and illuminating Canada with my new found brothers.
Posted on Mon, Feb 27, 2012
The second part of the West coast trip had me spending time in the beautiful city of San Diego. My dad and step-mom recently moved from the San Francisco Bay area to San Diego and I was fortunate to by able stay in their beautiful new home and not another hotel.
I woke early Monday morning and made my way to the former naval barracks next to the San Diego airport. It was a day I had been training for over the last several weeks; Firehouse World’s live firefighting evolutions. I met up with several dozen firefighters for the walk through of our burn buildings. I knew we we in for some wild training when the cement building’s walls were still radiating heat from the previous day burns. We were divided in to groups of four and started on our first of eight stations.
The training was intense and the fires were hot. You need to train the way you fight and this was as realistic as I have ever encountered. The local news station even stopped by and asked the instructors about the best new products they have seen. The chief instructor mentioned Foxfire and how our illuminating products help with accountability, reducing disorientation and improving accountability.
San Diego's Fox News Feature
As we participated in the first few evolutions, I kept looking at how exhausted everyone was coming from station 4. Station 4 was a basement fire with advancement of a 2-1/2” line not only down three stair landings but also several corners. I was the lucky guy who was the “control”. We all want to be the nozzle but in this case I was the hose monkey in the back feeding and humping hose. As my team finally found the basement stairs and stated to go in to the bowels of the basement, I was at the top of the stairs helping advance the 2 1/2 line. As I started to re-adjust my position, I was literally blown back by the heat. I was at the top of the chimney taking the full brunt of the intense conductive heat. I could see my gear starting to “off-gas” and I was at the point were I almost backed out but I knew that was not an option. My brothers needed my help or they would not be able to advance the line deep enough to make the attack. At that point, it hit me. A team is only as strong as it’s weakest link and brotherhood is what keeps those links together. Even though I just met these guys a few hours ago I knew there was no way I would let them down by backing out. They made the knock and on the debrief they mentioned how important the “control” is to the successful completion of the mission. It's no fun being away from the nozzle, advancing hose around corners and pinch points, but it is an important position that is essential to the team.
The next day was the tradeshow and I could barely get out of bed that next day due to the exhaustion. I guess I’m not 18 any more.....
Even though the show was not as big as several of the other national shows we attend, we still had steady traffic. We had the opportunity to help our vendor Fire-Etc. of San Diego and we sold almost their entire stock of Foxfire products. We had great feedback from Chiefs to the firefighters about how our advanced photoluminescent technology has helped them in various limited light situations. Another highlight of the show was getting to have a afterhours party on the deck of the USS Midway and a great get together at the San Diego Fire Museum complete with bagpippers, a fire truck converted to a mobile pizza kitchen and the best handmade tacos I have ever tasted.
Posted on Mon, Feb 20, 2012
Another day another trip on an airplane.... I’ve been home for about 2 days out of the last 14 but at least I have had the chance to visit some warmer climates. My current travels take me back out to the West Coast. About nine months ago, some of you may remember me talking about my visits with Los Angeles Fire Department. Part of the reason for this trip was to follow up on how their evaluation has been progressing in addition to attending Firehouse World in San Diego. I will not only be exhibiting at the show but I will also be participating in some live fire evolutions (I’ll try and post that blog on the airplane when I return Friday)
I pulled into the station and the guys of Engine/Rescue 7 greeted me with open arms. They all immediately retrieved their illuminating helmet bands and also showed me how they had been used over the last several months.
As creative firefighters are, they also showed some new uses for our grip wrap. These were the same guys that showed me how they reconfigured a BBQ rotisserie to spin their tools as they applied the Foxfire Illuminating epoxy so it would not drip. These innovative dragon slayers took our grip wrap and sewed it on to the roof kits straps so if someone would happen to fall through the roof they could throw this in after them and the interior crew could use our advanced photoluminescence to locate the man down.
They invited me for lunch and we had a great discussion about the current state of the fire service. One comment really stuck with me as we were discussing brown-outs and layoffs. One of the firefighters talked about how easy it is for politicians to attack firefighters because no matter how much they take away from us we always find a way to accomplish our mission. I remembered seeing a great cartoon from Paul Combs about this exact issue.
After a great meal with these guys and a ride-a-long, I bid my adieus and headed north to Santa Barbara. I was off to visit my best friends from college and wanted to stop by a nearby winery to pick up a bottle of Santa Barabara’s finest fruit of the vine. Across the street from the winery was a small fire station. I decided to stop in and drop off a few tetrahedrons and a few brochures. The men of Carpinteria FD could not be more welcoming and friendly. It turns out that one of the guys was born in Cincinnati and the other was a big Cincinnati Reds fan. It never ceases to amaze me how connected we are to one another in the fire service.
As soon as I walked into my friends new home, their kids told me about the fire station around the corner. We visited some of the men of the Santa Barabara Fire Department. We happened to drop in as they were having dinner so we were brief but we did get a few minutes to talk about how our products improve accountability, reduce disorientation and help illuminate search sectors.
The next day I awoke very early and took the scenic drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. I watched the beautiful sunrise appear over the mountains and shine it’s beautiful colors over the ocean. I had to pull my car off the side of the road and take a moment to soak in this beauty.
As I sat on the rocks and took in this vista, I began to reflect on how blessed I am to have this incredible opportunity to travel this country and share with my fellow firefighters the benefits of this innovative technology. Just two weeks ago I was in New York City looking at Lady Liberty in the Atlantic Ocean, last week I was in Tampa, FL looking at the Gulf of Mexico and today I was sitting, feeling the mist of the waves of the Pacific. I thought of my time over the last year spent with firefighters from all over this great country. I reflected over the brotherhood I encounter as my travels take me from coast to coast and I thought of the sacred words of last two lines of “America the Beautiful”
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
Posted on Tue, Jan 03, 2012
As a young kid, I dreamed about one day becoming a firefighter. I still get excited everytime I respond to the station and ride the engine or ladder to help our local citizens. As much as I feel like I'm living my childhood dream on every run, the greatest pride I have is knowing that I'm helping my fellow firefighters.
The mission of MN8-Foxfire is for firefighters to help our brother firefighters be better and safer firefighters. Everything we do, every products we develop and every dollar we spend has 100% alignment with our mission.
One of the top recommendations we have received from our fellow firefighters is that they would like to see reflectivity to be combined with our advanced photoluminescent technology. Specifically, firefighters want to see helmet tetrahedrons that utilize the Foxfire’s Advanced Photoluminescent Technology. This is something that has intrigued us because we have always felt that we offer a great compliment to retro-reflectivity but not a replacement. Retro-reflective works great with light, we work great in the dark.
It is with great pride that we can now announce the combination of these two technologies; Foxfire’s Illuminating Tetrahedrons. This patented design utilizes some of the best materials from some of the industry leaders in their respective fields. These helmet tets utilize state of the art micro-prismatic technology from Reflexite® that reflects back up to 250% of light. We use 3M’s industrial grade adhesive to ensure that they stay strongly bonded to your helmet. They are built off of a high tempreature resistant fire retardant cloth to hold up to high heat conditions. Combine all of this with the advance photoluminescent technology that you have come to expect from MN8-Foxfire and you have the most advanced product in the history of our company.
Click Here for the MN8-Foxfire Illuminating Helmet Tetrahedrons Product Sheet
The new tetrahedrons will be available in set’s of 8 for $24.95 or individually for $4.95. They can be purchased directly from the MN8-Foxfire store http://store.mn8foxfire.com/
These innovative products are another step in keeping our brother firefighter’s safe by increasing accountability and reducing disorientation. Let us know what you think, this product is because of the feedback you gave us. As always, please post pictures of you and your crew using Foxfire products on Facebook. It’s always great to see firefighters from all around the world illuminating the fire service.
Posted on Sun, Oct 23, 2011
This past week I had the privilege to be interviewed on the local ABC affiliate about MN8-Foxfire. Interviewing me was Crystal Faulkner of the very well known and respected business advisory and accounting firm of Cooney, Faulkner, and Stevens, LLC. CFS-CPA Business Wise She also hosts a weekly radio and television segment called BusinessWise. 
Her guests are usually economic professors, politicians, and CEO’s from various companies around the greater Cincinnati area. I was very privileged to have someone of her stature ask me questions about the how and why we created MN8-Foxfire. Crystal is one of those incredibly successful entrepreneurs that knows true success is not only what you can do but also how you can help others. Crystal stared the interview asking me why I would leave a steady job with a major corporation to start a company in the middle of a recession. I told her that one of my heroes and roles models was Teddy Roosevelt.
Roosevelt always enamored me with his exuberant personality and his “cowboy” mentality. He believed not only in service to his country through community service, politics and serving in the US Army (he was award the Medal of Honor)but also service to his fellow man. His bold leadership and character are something all leaders can strive to achieve. During my interview with Crystal, I discussed one of my favorite quotes of his; “In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” That is exactly what I thought about when I discovered how we can use this advanced photoluminescent pigment to transform and change the way firefighters operate in limited or no light environments. I knew the first time I observed this technology that I had to do something, I owed it to my brothers in the fire service to develop and promote this incredible technology that helps reduce disorientation and improves accountability of tools and fellow firefighters.
Another topic I discussed in this interview is how incredibly innovative firefighters can be. I have never seen a group of people come up with such novel solutions, products and ideas. How many solutions to problems have been developed sitting on the tail-board of a firetruck? Firefighters HAVE to solve problems, we can't call 912 if we are faced with a situation in which additional help is need to mitigate a problem. A great idea or product is nothing if you can't market, sell, and distribute it to the masses. The opposite is also true (remember the Pet Rock or the Snuggie) To all my fellow firefighters, if you have that next big idea be it a training technique, a product or and idea, don’t just “sit on it” Talk to others that have been successful and learn from them how you can both promote and capitalize on you innovation. It ultimately comes down to helping others and leaving a legacy, remember the worst decision is to do nothing !
Attached is the link to the BusinessWise Interview on WCPO:
MN8-Foxfire Interview on WCPO BusinesWise